The Truth and Reconciliation Commission makes its first report on Tuesday, wrapping up the commission itself, and after hosting a number of Reconciliation events around the country, the last of them here in Ottawa over the weekend. They found that at least 6,000 children died in residential schools as a result of a policy of “aggressive assimilation” or cultural genocide, a term that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court made at a speech lat week (which may prove problematic, as Emmett Macfarlane explains). Part of the Reconciliation events in the past few weeks have been to try and bring an understanding on both sides of the cultural divide, so as to bring healing in symbolic ways. One such is the bentwood box that has collected some 1300 items since the Commission began, which created a sacred space to bring forward the promise of reconciliation. One hopes that the chapters will turn to something more positive, but I also have a sinking feeling that this will become politicised over the coming weeks, and possibly even over the course of the campaign in the fall.

Good reads:

• The Duffy trial resumes today, and it looks like the issue of that Senate report under privilege will be an issue up for discussion before the judge.
• Maclean’s pores over the Duffy Diaries and puts more pieces into a bigger picture of what the Conservatives were doing behind the scenes at the time.
• As the battle over public service sick leave continues, there are concerns about the cost of “presenteeism” to the system.
• Veterans Affairs officials blamed Julian Fantino for making their bad news worse by his inability to communicate.
• The Liberals gave The Canadian Press a look at their campaign, which uses data analytics with old-fashioned door knocking to engage voters.

Odds and ends:

Suspended senator Patrick Brazeau upheld the dignity of the Senate over the weekend by guest refereeing a wrestling match, which went about as well as expected.

Australia is looking for more market access in Canada for their wines under Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations.

Apparently foreign ownership has helped cushion our oil& gas sector from price downturns, but the “value added” evangelists are out in full force.